However normal the new residents who pour into San Francisco each year may be, they won't change the fact that we're a city of weirdos. It's inescapable. And after a summer of surprisingly lovely weather and new, clean Dolores Park bathrooms, it's time to settle into some of the strange cultural offerings of the fall.
What weirdo's dream would be complete without a circus? Luckily for us, Berkeley's Cal Performances is showing the National Circus and Acrobats of the People's Republic of China's Peking Dreams (Sept. 11-12, calperformances.org). Looking for an out-of-body art experience? These otherworldly corporeal contortions, along with trippy costume designs and sets, might be hard to beat.
For a more local experience, turn to the Mission Cultural Center, which opens its doors for one night to the Mission I'm Possible community talent show (Sept. 12, missionculturalcenter.org). And while that might not seem especially bizarre, know that all participants are welcome, and that the event promises to serve lots of that liquid courage known as alcohol. We think it's fair to cross our fingers and hope that the performers get a little loose.
Now in its 30th year, Vintage Fashion Expo (Sept. 19-20, vintageexpo.com) gives a (mobile) home to fashionistas, thrifters, label whores, and window-shoppers, all of whom are invited to graze at an impressive collection of garments and accessories that range from the late 1700s to the early 1990s. Prepare to spend a few hours doing so as the sheer vastness of the collection can be overwhelming — even to the most experienced vintage lover.
Dainty blouses and embroidered handkerchiefs aren't your thing, you say? Then thank Buddha for Japantown's Japan Center Malls, which will host the fourth annual Sumo Champions Exhibition (Sept. 19 - 20, sfjapantown.org). This year's wrestlers include three-time World Sumo Champion Byamba, as well as Yuma, who, at six-foot-four and 600 pounds, bills himself the biggest Japanese human being of all time.
Last but certainly not least, be sure to catch the Fauxgirls (third Thursdays though November, fauxgirls.com), one of the city's longest-running drag cabarets. This group of gals is one of the finer institutions in a city known for female impersonators and gender performers. And their home at the Infusion Lounge gives locals a reason to stop complaining about the lack of anything interesting in Union Square.
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